Lubrication system



I June 1s, 1935. s, s, rREERTS 2,005,166

LUBRICATION SYSTEM Filed July 6, 1952 SQMUEL 5. ROBE/715,

Patented June 18, 1935 I i UNITED` STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUBRIGATION SYSTEMr Samuel S. Roberts, Pittsburgh, Pa. 'Application `luly 6, 1932, Serial No. 621,091 claims. (c1. iai- 7) This invention relates to lubrication systems I6 so that the duct I2 is closed.` When in itsy and particularly those having a central supply of lowermost position this duct is open while the lubricant under pressure which is conducted to duct I3 is closed. I K variouspoints of application. Abored piston I1 ts thelarge cylinder II and.

y* 5 Such systems are used to lubricate various rollis urged upwardly by a spring I8. Its bore is(M 5 ing mill machinery because of the labor reduc` shaped to form a cylindrical centralv portion I9, a tion possible over manual systems.` Many are slightly flaring bottom seat 2U vand a` much impractical when subjected to the conditions of greater flaringv top seat 2|.

excessive heat and cold, massivenessof machin- When the piston I1 is in Aits upper' position v'10 ery and the like here encountered. Other sysits top seat 2l is closed by a large valve'22 whose'lO tems, although practical, have so many pipe lines stem 23 extends upwardly through and above thatmany mill designers hesitate to use them. the body 9. This stem is provided with a packf One of the objects of the present inventor is to ing 24. v

provide a system using only a single line to conduct When the piston I1 is in its` lowermost positionv 15 the lubricant from its source, from which indiits bottom seat 20 is closed-by a vvalve 25`whose 15 vidual lines branch in multiple arrangement to stem 26 extends through the bottom of the body points of application. vAnother object is to pro- 9 and is in screw threaded engagementtherewith. vide valves which automatically meter predeter- This valve has a short cylindrical vvsection '21 minable lubricant charges for each application of which fits the cylindrical portion I9-of"tl1ebore;`k

line pressure. I in the piston. It also has ha lsr'nall upstan'ding'ao vHaving reference tcthe drawing: I stem 28 of sufficient length to lift the valve 22 Figure 1 is a top plan of a roller table incorfrom its seat in the piston I1 just after the cylinp'orating thenew system. drical section 21 ofthe valve 25 enters'j the `Figure 2 is alongitudinal cross-section of one cylindrical portion I9 of its bore. V j j.

' of the metering valves, and When pressure is applied rto'the branch line" 25 Figure 3 is vthe same with the partslin avdifier- 6 the piston I4 will be forced downwardly and ent position. v close the entrance to, the'duct I3. This opens i The above diagrammatically show a train of the duct I2 so that pressure is'applied to the f rolls I Whose various bearings-2`must belubritop of valve 22 and piston I1. v As these travelV cated periodically. By its side is a lubricant resdownwardly any lubricant in the'large'cylinderr` 30 ervoir `3 in which pressure is maintained by a II will be forced 'through-an outlet 29 whichis compressor 4. This reservoir is connected in connected to the point to be lubricated. The duct multiple to eachand all of the various bearings I2 acts as the cylinders inlet.

by a. single pipe line 5 fromwhich individual lines Asthe valve 22 and piston I1 continue down- 35 6A branch. This line may also be connected to wardly the cylindrical section 21 of the valve r25 35 subsidiary lines vfrom whichbranches lead tothe enters the straight portion I9 of the bore in mills gearing and roll driving machineryfv the piston. Immediately after this occurs the The line 5 is provided with a master three-way small stem 28 on the valve 25 cracks the valve valve 1 which selectively applies and releases the 22 from its seat 2| in the piston.

i 40 pressure in the reservoir 3 to the line 5. Meter- The lubricant now iiows between this seat and;v 40

'ing valves 8 connect the branch lines 6 to the the Valve and forces the latter upwardly because various journals. These are the valves which of the diierential pressures between its top and deliverapredeterminable volume or shot of grease bottom surfaces. The piston continues downto the points to be'lubricated. Wardly until the valve`25 ts its seat, closes the One 'cf these valves will now be described in bore and stops the passage of lubricant there- 45 detail. Its body -forms a small cylinder I0 and through completely. This stoppage is not coma much larger cylinder II. The'smaller cylinder plete when the straight section 21 of the valve has a reduced upper section and communicates 25 rst enters the straight portion I9 ofthe with the top and bottom of the cylinderl I through piston I1 because of the practical impossibility 'so ducts I2 and I3. The top is open and tapped for of making a commercial product with the exact- 50 connection with one of the branch lines 6'.' A ness which would be required. The valve repiston I4 ts its upper reduced portion and slides mains in this position until pressure is released. by the duct I2. This piston has a depending When this occurs thesmall piston I4L is pushed stem I5 whose lower end seats in the entrance upwardly by the spring I0 and closes the duct to the duct I3, and-it is urged upwardlybya spring vrr`I2 which forms the inlet to the large cylinder 55 II. The fact that this piston is so small permits the use of a much weaker closing spring than is otherwise possible. For instance, if the spring I8 were depended upon to force the piston I'I upwardly to crack the Valve 25 it would be necessary to use an extremely heavy spring. It is to be understood that although the pressure is released in the line 5 there is still considerable resistance effect because of the relatively high viscosity of the body of lubricant which must be moved. In the case of the piston I4 the amount necessarily displaced is very small and consequently requires little force. In the case of the larger piston the amount is relatively large and requires considerable force.

As the piston I4 closes the inlet I2 and segregates all of. the valves working parts from the system, the duct I3 is simultaneously opened and communication established between both ends of the cylinder. The spring I8 then pushes the piston II upwardly so that the bore I9 is opened and the lubricant above forced through into the lower portion of the cylinder. This action easily occurs because the flow has two open paths.

These are through the duct I2 and out the duct.

I3 and directly through the bored piston I'I.

When the piston reaches its uppermost position the lower portion of the cylinder will contain the amount of lubricant which will be sent to the desired point at the next pressure increase in the system. Adjustment of the stem 26 will move the rvalve 28 so that the piston stroke is thereby adjustably limited. This permits the volume of the ejected charge to be varied.

The motion of the upper valve 22 may bel observed by means of its projecting stem 23 so that the mill men may be assured of the proper function of each and every valve. In addition, measurement of this stems motion is an accurate indication of the working stroke of the piston I'I.

Although a specific form of this invention has been shown and described in accordance with the patent statutes, it is not intended to limit its scope exactlythereto, except as defined by the following claims.

lI claim:

l. A metering valve including parallel small and large cylinders respectively constructed and arranged so that the large one has an inlet from the smaller'cylinder and an outlet to the device` to be lubricated and the` smallv one has an inlet for lubricant under pressure and a bore communicating with the outlet end of the large one, means including a piston in said small cylinder constructed to cut oi` communication between its inlet and the bore to the outlet end of said large one when moved theretowards by lubricant entering the inlet and to establish communication between opposite ends of said large cylinder and said bore through the inlet to the large cylinder, when oppositely moved upon release of pressure and simultaneously close they inlet to the small cylinder, a longitudinally bored piston in said large cylinder having valve seats at both ends, a sliding valve tting the seat of the bore in said second named piston towards said inlet and having a stem projecting through the end wall of said large cylinder, an adjustably xed valve fitting the other seat of the bore in saidl piston when said piston is moved towardsl the outlet end of said large cylinder and including a portion constructed and arranged to eect closure of the piston bore slightly before seating of the piston against said xed valve and a stern sumciently long to then crack said first named valve from its seat upon further movement of the piston and springs for urging said pistons toward the inlets of the respective cylinders.

2. A metering Valve including the combination of a cylinder having an entrance in one end and an exit in the other, a piston tting said cylinder and having a longitudinal bore, a spring urging said piston towards the entrance end of said cylinder, a valve arranged to reciprocate in said cylinder between its entrance end and said piston, said valve closing the bore inthe piston when said spring urges the piston towards the entrance end of the cylinder and remaining closed during the discharge stroke of the piston and being constructed to present a larger surface area towards the piston than towards the entrance end of the cylinder, a stationary valve in the exit end of said cylinder for closing the bore in said piston, said piston having valve seats at its opposite ends for the respective valves, and a means for cracking said reciprocating valve from its seat when said piston approaches adjacent said stationary valve.

3. A metering valve including the combination of a cylinder having an entrance in one end and;4

an exit in the other, a piston iltting said cylinder and having a longitudinal bore, a spring urging said Apiston towards the entrance end of said cylinder, a valve arranged to reciprocate in said cylinder between its entrance end and said pis-l ton, said valve closing the bore in the piston when said spring urges the piston towards the entrance end of the cylinder and remaining closed during the discharge stroke of the piston and being constructed to present a larger surface area towards,

the piston than towards the entrance end of the cylinder, a stationary valve in the exit end of said cylinder for closing the bore in said piston, said piston having valve seats at its opposite ends for reciprocating valve from its seat when said piston approaches adjacent said stationary valve,

and means for obstructing the bore of said piston as said reciprocating valve, arranged to reciprocate in said cylinder, is cracked from its seatm the respective valves, means for cracking said 0 by said first named means and prior to the bores closure by said stationary valve.

4. A metering valve including the combination Aof a cylinder having an entrance in one end and an exit in the other, a piston tting said,.

cylinder and having a longitudinal bore, a spring urging said piston towards the entrance end of said cylinder, a valve arranged to reciprocate in said cylinder between its entrance end and said piston, said valve closing the bore in the piston when said spring urges the piston towards the entrancevend of the cylinder and remaining closed during the discharge stroke of the piston and being constructed to present a larger surface area towards the piston than towards the entrance end of the cylinder, a stationary valve in the exit end of said cylinder for closing the bore in said piston, said piston having valve seats at its opposite ends for the respective valves,

-means for cracking said reciprocating valve from and having a longitudinal bore, a spring urgingA said piston towards the entrance end of said cylinder, a valve arranged to reciprocate in said cylinder between its entrance end and said piston, said valve closing the bore in the piston when said spring urges the piston towards the entrance end of the cylinder and remaining closed during the discharge stroke of the piston and being constructed to present a larger surface area towards the piston than towards the entrance end of the 10 cylinder, a stem carried by said reciprocating valve and slidably projecting through and beyond the entrance end of said cylinder, a stationary valve adjustably varranged in the exit end of said cylinder for closing the bore of said piston, said piston having valve seats at its opposite ends for the respective valves, and means for cracking said reciprocating valve from its seat when said piston approaches adjacent said stationary valve.

SAMUEL S. ROBERTS. 

